I'm Mandy Fly Me

Last updated
"I'm Mandy Fly Me"
Single by 10cc
from the album How Dare You!
B-side "How Dare You"
ReleasedMarch 1976
Genre
Length4:41 (single version)
5:21 (album version)
Label Mercury
Songwriter(s) Eric Stewart
Graham Gouldman
Kevin Godley
Producer(s) 10cc
10cc singles chronology
"Art for Art's Sake"
(1975)
"I'm Mandy Fly Me"
(1976)
"The Things We Do for Love"
(1976)

"I'm Mandy Fly Me" is a single by 10cc released in 1976. It was taken from the How Dare You! album, and reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. [1]

Contents

Writing and recording

The album version of "I'm Mandy Fly Me" features an intro in the form of one of the bridge sections of the band's 1974 song "Clockwork Creep". The section, whose lyrics are "Oh, no you'll never get me up in one of these again / 'Cause what goes up must come down", is rendered soft and tinny, as if heard playing from a portable transistor radio or an in-flight audio system. [2]

In a radio interview, [3] songwriter Eric Stewart recalled the origins of the song:

National Airlines used to have this beautiful poster that they displayed of this gorgeous stewardess inviting you onto the plane. Now her name wasn't Mandy actually, it was something like, er, oh gosh knows, "I'm Cindy", a very American name. "I'm Cindy, fly me" which was a quite sexual connotation as well, but I remember seeing in Manchester this beautiful poster and just below it was this tramp, I mean a serious tramp, quite a raggedy guy, looking up at this girl, and I thought God, do you know, there's a song there. Look at that guy looking up at Cindy-fly-me and I know he's never gonna get on an aeroplane, I don't think, except in his dreams.

He continued:

[So I brought it back, the idea back to the studio, where we were writing for the How Dare You! album, and put it to the guys: "Anybody interested in this 'I'm Mandy Fly Me'". I'd switched it to Mandy. And Graham said "yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I've got some ideas, I've got some chords. Let's slot those things in, try it, mess it around". We wrote it, and we didn't like it. We, we scrapped it. It just wasn't going anywhere. But, enter from stage left, ha ha, the "wicked villain" Kevin Godley, twiddling his moustache, says "I know what's wrong with it. Let's sit down again." He said "I think it just gets too bland, it just goes on, on one plane, your verses and your middles and your der-der-der, they're all going on the one plane. What it needs is someone to go 'Bash' on the side of your head". So we changed the rhythm completely, and we put two whacking great guitar solos in there, in the middle of this quiet, soft, floaty song. Once we'd got that idea in, it, it just gelled into something else. Again, impossible to dance to, as a lot of 10cc tracks were, but once Kevin had put that in, he became the third writer in the song so we were quite democratic in that way.

Record World said that it has "shifting harmonies and twisting time signatures." [4]

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1976)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] 62
Ireland (IRMA) [6] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [7] 50
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [8] 25
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [9] 18
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 6
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] 60

Related Research Articles

<i>Ooh La La</i> (Faces album) 1973 studio album by Faces

Ooh La La is the fourth and final studio album by the English rock band Faces, released in March 1973. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart in the week of 28 April 1973. The album was most recently reissued on CD in a remastered and expanded form on 28 August 2015, including early rehearsal takes of three of its tracks, as part of the 1970–1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything... box set. The box set's vinyl counterpart did not contain any bonus tracks, but it did replicate the original LP artwork and 'animated' cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10cc</span> British art rock band

10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured two songwriting teams. Many regard Stewart and Gouldman as the predominant pop songwriters, and Godley and Creme as the more experimental half of 10cc. Some have described Godley and Creme’s songwriting as featuring art and cinematically inspired writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godley & Creme</span> English rock duo

Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first music video for their single "An Englishman in New York". After this, they became involved in the production of videos for artists such as Ultravox, the Police, Yes, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Huey Lewis and the News and Wang Chung, as well as directing the groundbreaking video for their 1985 single "Cry". The duo split at the end of the 1980s. Both have since been involved in music videos, TV commercials, and sporadic music projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Stewart</span> English musician (born 1945)

Eric Michael Stewart is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of 10cc from 1972 to 1995. Stewart co-owned Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, from 1968 to the early 1980s, where he recorded albums with 10cc and artists including Neil Sedaka and Paul McCartney. Stewart collaborated with McCartney extensively in the 1980s, playing on or co-writing songs for McCartney's solo albums Tug of War (1982), Pipes of Peace (1983), Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), and Press to Play (1986). Since 1980, Stewart has released four solo studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lol Creme</span> British musician (born 1947)

Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme is a British musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He was later one half of the duo Godley & Creme, with 10cc drummer Kevin Godley. Creme has collaborated with Trevor Horn's Band. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Gouldman</span> English musician (born 1946)

Graham Keith Gouldman is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10cc, Gouldman worked as a freelance songwriter and penned many hits for major rock and pop groups, including the Yardbirds, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits and Ohio Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotlegs</span> English band

Hotlegs was a short-lived English band best known for their hit single "Neanderthal Man" in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and – briefly – Graham Gouldman. In 1972, the band re-branded themselves as 10cc.

<i>The Original Soundtrack</i> 1975 studio album by 10cc

The Original Soundtrack is the third studio album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1975 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The Original Soundtrack includes the singles "Life Is a Minestrone", and "I'm Not in Love", the band's most popular song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Not in Love</span> 1975 song by British band 10cc

"I'm Not in Love" is a song by British group 10cc, written by band members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It is known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitracked vocals. Released in the UK in May 1975 as the second single from the band's third album, The Original Soundtrack, it became the second of the group's three number-one singles in the UK between 1973 and 1978, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. "I'm Not in Love" became the band's breakthrough hit outside the United Kingdom, topping the charts in Canada and Ireland as well as peaking within the top 10 of the charts in several other countries, including Australia, West Germany, New Zealand, Norway and the United States.

<i>How Dare You!</i> (album) 1976 studio album by 10cc

How Dare You! is the fourth album by British band 10cc. Released in 1976, it included UK hit singles "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and "Art for Art's Sake". The album was the band's third to have cover artwork by the Hipgnosis creative team.

<i>Deceptive Bends</i> 1977 studio album by 10cc

Deceptive Bends is the fifth studio album by rock band 10cc, released in 1977. It was the first album released by the band after the departure of founding members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and produced the hit single "The Things We Do for Love".

<i>...Meanwhile</i> 1992 studio album by 10cc

...Meanwhile is the tenth studio album by the British rock band 10cc, released in 1992. It was the band's first in nine years and marked the brief comeback of the original 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

<i>Mirror Mirror</i> (10cc album) 1995 studio album by 10cc

Mirror Mirror is the eleventh and final album by British rock band 10cc released in 1995, re-titled I'm Not in Love for the 1996 re-release. The album was their first not to be released on a major UK label, this time working with Japanese label Avex following the poor performance of their previous album ...Meanwhile in UK and its relative success in Japan.

<i>And Another Thing...</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Graham Gouldman

And Another Thing... is a third studio album by 10cc bass player Graham Gouldman released in 2000. The album is a mix of newly written songs and new versions of tracks from earlier stages of Gouldman's musical career. The album's title is a reference to Gouldman's first solo album, released in 1968: The Graham Gouldman Thing, which utilized the same concept.

<i>Solitaire</i> (Neil Sedaka album) 1972 album by Neil Sedaka

Solitaire is a 1972 album by American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dean and I</span> 1973 single by 10cc

"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock/pop band 10cc, from their 1973 eponymous debut album, written by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart on 20 September 1973.

<i>Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme</i> 1987 greatest hits album by 10cc

Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme is a compilation album that included the hits of 10cc and Godley & Creme, the first album to include both bands.

<i>Live and Let Live</i> (10cc album) 1977 live album by 10cc

Live and Let Live is 10cc's first live album, released in the Autumn of 1977. It was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London between 18 and 20 June 1977 and the Manchester Apollo, Manchester between 16 and 17 July 1977.

"Life Is a Minestrone" is a 1975 song by 10cc released as a lead single from their third album, The Original Soundtrack.

<i>Clever Clogs</i> 2008 live album by 10cc

Clever Clogs is a live and video album by 10cc released in 2008.

References

  1. "Official Charts: I'm Mandy Fly Me". Official Charts . 2 January 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  2. "The Story Behind The Song: I'm Mandy Fly Me by 10cc". 12 August 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. "I Write The Songs". The10ccfanclub.com. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  4. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 20, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 307. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I'm Mandy Fly Me". Irish Singles Chart.
  7. "10cc – I'm Mandy Fly Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  8. "10cc – I'm Mandy Fly Me". Top 40 Singles.
  9. "10cc – I'm Mandy Fly Me". Singles Top 100.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  11. "10cc Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.